BBC Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast'

[Guest guest]

> * Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast' *

>Melting Himalayan glaciers could lead to

>catastrophic water shortages, a conservation

>group warns.

>Full story:

>http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4346211.stm

>

>

 

Himalayan glaciers 'melting fast'

Melting glaciers in the Himalayas could lead to

water shortages for hundreds of millions of

people, the conservation group WWF has warned.

 

In a report, the WWF says India, China and Nepal

could experience floods followed by droughts in

coming decades.

 

The Himalayas contain the largest store of water

outside the polar ice caps, and feed seven great

Asian rivers.

 

The group says immediate action against climate

change could slow the rate of melting, which is

increasing annually.

 

" The rapid melting of Himalayan glaciers will

first increase the volume of water in rivers,

causing widespread flooding, " said Jennifer

Morgan, director of the WWF's Global Climate

Change Programme.

 

" But in a few decades this situation will change

and the water level in rivers will decline,

meaning massive eco and environmental problems

for people in western China, Nepal and northern

India. "

 

'Catastrophe'

 

The glaciers, which regulate the water supply to

the Ganges, Indus, Brahmaputra, Mekong, Thanlwin,

Yangtze and Yellow rivers, are believed to be

retreating at a rate of about 10-15m (33-49ft)

each year.

 

Hundreds of millions of people throughout China

and the Indian subcontinent - most of whom live

far from the Himalayas - rely on water supplied

from these rivers.

 

Many live on flood plains highly vulnerable to raised water levels.

 

And vast numbers of farmers rely on regular

irrigation to grow their crops successfully.

 

The WWF said the potential for disaster in the

region should serve to focus the minds of

ministers of 20 leading industrialised nations

gathering in London for two meetings on climate

change.

 

" Ministers should realise now that the world

faces an economic and development catastrophe if

the rate of global warming isn't reduced, " Ms

Morgan said.

 

Temperatures rising

 

She added that a study commissioned for the WWF

indicated that the temperature of the earth could

rise by two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial

levels in a little over 20 years.

 

Allowing global temperatures to rise that far

would be " truly dangerous " , Ms Morgan said.

 

Nepal, China and India are already showing signs

of climate change, the WWF report says.

 

Nepal's annual average temperature has risen by

0.06 degrees Celsius, and three snow-fed rivers

have shown signs of reduced flows.

 

Water level in China's Qinghai Plateau wetlands

have affected lakes, rivers and swamps, while

India's Gangotri glacier is receding by 23 metres

each year.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/sci/tech/4346211.stm

 

Published: 2005/03/14 01:10:48 GMT

 

© BBC MMV

 

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